Birds of a Feather
by ravengal
Summary: After the events at Temporal Tower, a born and bred piplup begins to feel a whirlwind of emotions for his best friend and partner, a once-human torchic. This is the tale of how he struggles to deal with those feelings. [Mystery Dungeon]
1. To Lose and Gain

Author's note: Heyo!

So I decided to write a fic for Mystery Dungeon! Specifically, Explorers of Sky!

Now, it won't be a terribly long fic - heck, a lot of it has already been written! - but it'll still cover all the basics of the post-game story. As well as include sprinklings of my own personal take on things!

If you ask me, the world needs more Mystery Dungeon fics that aren't overly edgy and serious. XP So I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter One****: To Lose and Gain**

Piplup lay in his hay bed at Wigglytuff's guild, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep again. The room was far too quiet now. His heart heavy, he rolled over, looking at the empty hay bed next to him. The one where _she_ used to sleep. His partner. His best friend. The one who'd helped him be brave. The one who'd comforted him when he'd felt down.

Not long ago, she'd been sleeping there every night. Now she was gone.

Heaving a sigh, he turned over to stare out the window. The moon was big and bright tonight. It looked nice...

He thought back over the last week. Ever since coming back from Temporal Tower, he'd been telling everyone the story of his adventure. What had happened with Dusknoir, Grovyle... and especially _her_.

Torchic. Or Kathryn, since she'd been human once.

He sometimes wondered what she'd looked like as a human. Not that it mattered, since she wasn't here anymore.

He tried to hold back his tears. No, he had to be strong for her. That was what she'd wanted. That had been her last wish before disappearing from time. To go on without her. To live.

... Sometimes, though, it was so hard.

They'd only known each other for a few months, but it had felt like a lifetime. He'd been unable to imagine a life without her, and yet... here he was.

"... Hey," a voice whispered from the doorway. "Piplup."

"Huh?" he asked. Rubbing away his tears, he sat up. In the doorway, he saw Sunflora giving him a comforting smile. "Sunflora?"

"Hey. Wanna move your bed into my room?"

He blinked at her. "Huh? With you and Chimecho?"

She beamed. "Yeah!"

"Why?"

"Well... it'll give you some company! Since, well..." She shook her head. "A-Anyway! What do you think?"

"Uh..." He glanced behind him again, at the empty hay bed. His heart felt heavy in his chest at the sight. "... Sure. Thanks."

"Yippee! No problem!"

Getting up, he quietly set to gathering up his hay bed.

"Oh, let me help you with that!" Sunflora said, hurrying over.

"Thanks."

Once they'd gathered it all up in one big pile, they began to make their way out of the room. They passed by Bidoof, Loudred and Corphish's room, where Loudred was loudly snoring, and entered the room opposite.

Chimecho beamed upon seeing him. "Hello, Piplup!" she said.

He smiled back as he and Sunflora put down the hay bed. "Hey," he replied.

"How are you feeling?"

He patted it down absentmindedly. "I'm... okay."

Her smile softened. "I understand. I hope things get easier for you."

"... Me too."

Sunflora appeared at his side. "Oh my gosh!" she said. "You know, we used to have a girls-only rule, but...! But...! We couldn't just leave you sad!"

"Yes," Chimecho agreed. "So we talked it over and decided to let you stay here, if you like."

Piplup felt his eyes welling up again. "Thanks, guys..." he said. "I... appreciate it."

They both rushed over, hugging him with their leaves and tassel. They held that hug for a while.

* * *

For the following months, Piplup was kept busy. Each day, he went on missions with one or more of his fellow guild members. Exploring dungeons, stopping outlaws and rescuing helpless pokémon. His bravery failed him on a few occasions, but he held strong.

In the evenings, he and his friends would sit around a table at Spinda's Café. They'd chat and laugh, while drinking their favourite gummi teas and smoothies. At night, he would sleep in the same room as Sunflora and Chimecho.

One day, Sunflora happened to find out that he'd secretly been reading her diary, and ran around the room in embarrassment. He and Chimecho cracked up laughing at the sight, before Piplup apologised profusely for being nosy.

While travelling around, he continued to spread the story of how he'd saved the planet from paralysis. He spread it as far and wide as possible, to try and prevent the same thing ever happening in the future.

Over time, his rank gradually increased. He made quite a name for himself.

It all kept him so busy that, some days, he could forget...

* * *

Piplup should have known that coming down to the beach was a bad idea. He'd only wanted to watch the krabby blowing bubbles against the sunset.

But then he'd remembered _her_.

This was where he'd met her. Where they'd formed an exploration team.

She'd called them Team Fledge. Because it was symbolic of them 'spreading their wings' and 'flying high', despite being flightless birds. Chatot had called the name pretentious, but Piplup had loved it.

As he'd stared at the spot where he'd first seen Torchic, he'd remembered all the times they'd spent together. Jumping through a waterfall, falling down quicksand, being fugitives in a ruined future, saving the planet from paralysis...

All the times they'd stuck by each other, promising to be there for each other. Because they were a team.

But Team Fledge only had one member now.

Lying face down in the sand, Piplup couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore. Without her, he was lost. In his heart was a void he could never hope to fill.

Bidoof patted his back reassuringly, but it wouldn't help. He wanted Torchic back. He'd give anything to have Torchic back.

Team Fledge wasn't a complete team without her. Just as _he_ wasn't complete without her...

Suddenly, Bidoof jumped in shock. "Golly!" he cried. "Piplup! Piplup, look!"

"Huh...?" Piplup replied tiredly.

He pushed himself up and looked ahead of him, over to the entrance of Beach Cave. He paused in shock, not sure if he was seeing things.

In front of him was the girl he'd been crying out for. His best friend. His partner.

She was looking around herself in confusion, before she locked gazes with him. Her eyes widened.

Slowly, he got to his feet. He stumbled over to her, still not sure if he was seeing things. He'd seen her disappear, right in front of his eyes. She'd glowed yellow, then faded from existence. So, for her to be here, either he was becoming delusional, or...

"T... Torchic?" he asked, his voice cracking.

She blinked at him. After a moment passed, she smiled. "... Hey, Piplup," she replied.

Emotions began spilling from him like a volcano. Far too many to count, all tumbling over each other. He cried fresh tears.

"T... Torch... K... Kathryyyyn!" He fell to the ground at her feet, the emotions overwhelming him.

"H-Hey, hey..." She knelt down, patting his head comfortingly with her tiny wing. "Come on..."

"Kathryyyyn! I... I... I missed you!"

There was a beat of heavy silence.

"Kathryn?" he heard Bidoof whisper behind him in confusion.

It took Piplup a moment to realise that he'd accidentally used Torchic's human name in his emotional state. That he'd blurted out what he'd only ever called her in secret. His heart skipped a beat.

"Well, golly..." Bidoof said in a louder voice, "I thought we'd never be seeing you again... but..." He sniffled. "I'm mighty glad you're back, Torchic!"

Thankfully, Bidoof didn't seem to be questioning the strange name too much. He was probably assuming it was a personal nickname, or something, which Piplup was happy to go along with. He didn't have the mental strength to explain himself right now, anyway.

"... Wait..." Torchic said, "how... long have I been gone?"

"By golly, it's been months!"

"... Months?"

"Yup yup!"

"But..." She looked around again. "I was... just at Temporal Tower... wasn't I?"

Piplup looked up at her. "N... No..." he replied weakly. "That... that was months ago!"

She blinked down at him. "... Really?"

"Yeah! It's been so lonely without you!" He paused. "But... why are you back?"

"I... don't know."

"It must be a gift from the powers that be, by golly!" Bidoof said excitedly. "They were feeling mighty generous, yup yup!"

Piplup couldn't help but smile through his tears at that. "I guess so," he replied.

After a moment, he got to his feet again. Stumbling forward, he threw his flippers around Torchic in a tight embrace. She was slightly shorter than him, just as she'd always been, and it was reassuring to feel her warm feathers against his colder ones.

"Piplup?" she asked in surprise.

"I'm just... so glad you're back..." he replied.

"... I'm... glad to _be_ back, Piplup."

He moved his head back to see her smiling brightly at him. He felt an explosion of sunshine in his chest at the sight.

"Golly..." Bidoof said, "this is all so touching, I'm about ready to cry... yup yup." He sniffled. "Oh! We should tell the other guild members! They'll wanna know about this, by golly!"

Piplup's gaze never left Torchic's as he pulled away from her. "Do you... still wanna be part of the guild?" He paused. "... Part of Team Fledge?"

She smiled again. "Of course I do," she replied.

Piplup couldn't help the wide, beaming smile that spread across his beak.

Team Fledge was complete again.

* * *

The second that Piplup and Bidoof entered the guild, with Torchic in tow, there was an uproar. In a stampede of legs, the other guild members rushed over, almost shoving each other aside to crowd around Torchic. A few even hugged her. She looked a little overwhelmed at the attention, yet happy.

"Oh my gosh, you're alive!" Sunflora cried.

"I'm so happy!" Chimecho said, smiling.

"Yeah!" Loudred agreed loudly. "We thought you were a _goner_!"

"What happened?" Diglett asked.

"Yes, how have you returned?" Dugtrio asked.

"Did you really disappear?" Croagunk asked, wearing his usual amused smile.

"And are you back to stay, hey, hey?" Corphish asked.

"Golly!" Bidoof cried. "One question at a time, you all!"

Everyone laughed in relieved merriment.

"Yes, welcome back, Torchic," Chatot said.

Everyone turned to look at him, standing by the entrance gate and smiling. Beside him was the guildmaster, beaming in joy.

"Friendly friends~!" Wigglytuff said. "We're all together again~!"

Everyone cheered in agreement.

Piplup glanced over at Torchic to see that she was smiling warmly. He couldn't help but do the same at the sight.

* * *

Once they'd eaten dinner, the guild held a 'welcome home' party. It lasted for a good portion of the night, with everyone chatting, laughing and telling stories of the adventures they'd had while Torchic had been gone. Eventually, Chatot told everyone to go to bed, since they'd never make the morning briefing if they stayed up too late.

After a few yawns, the guild members muttered their agreements and parted ways to their rooms.

Suddenly, Sunflora stopped mid-step and turned around. "Oh!" she said. "Right! Piplup! Will you be sleeping in your old room again?"

"... Old room?" Torchic asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Piplup replied. He laughed awkwardly. "See, I... slept in Sunflora and Chimecho's room for a while... but I... think I'll go back now."

"Okay then!" Sunflora replied happily. "Well, I'll help you carry your bed back."

"Okay, thanks!"

"No problem!"

* * *

This was the first time in several months that Piplup had been in this room. As he and Sunflora placed down his hay bed, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic just being in here.

"Well, that's that!" Sunflora said. She let out a yawn. "Goodnight, you two!"

"Yeah, goodnight!" Piplup replied.

"Goodnight," Torchic replied.

With a wave, Sunflora left the room.

Torchic looked over at her own hay bed. "... I thought you said it's been several months."

"Huh?" Piplup asked. "Well, yeah, it has."

"So then... why...?"

"Hmm?" He looked over at her hay bed, noting that it was in exactly the same place he'd left it. "... Oh! I get it. Yeah, I... couldn't bring myself to move it." Sadness crept in, just from remembering. "I probably should have gotten rid of it, since you weren't using it, but... yeah, I couldn't. I guess it was like admitting that you'd never come back."

She turned to him with a sad gaze.

"But I..." he continued, "couldn't stay in the room either. It was kinda painful..." After a moment, he shook his head, smiling. "But, but it's okay now! 'Cause you're back! So it's a good thing I didn't get rid of it, huh?"

"I... guess so."

"Yeah! So..." It had been a long time since he'd said something like this, so it was rather strange, yet comforting and familiar. "Let's give it our best again tomorrow!"

She gave him a light smile and nodded. "Yeah."


	2. To Grow and Learn

Author's note: Hello~!

Now we're gonna start getting into the meat of this little story. And don't worry! I won't copy any dialogue from the game, or cover any pointless topics. I don't want to be padding the fic out with filler, after all.

Instead, you lovely readers get the prime cut of the beef! With all the fat cut off!

You all know how the story goes, anyway. I don't need to show you. XP And, if not, I recommend you play the game!

Now, with that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Two****: To Grow and Learn**

The first morning that Piplup awoke after the party, he checked and double checked to make sure that Torchic was real, and had actually come back. He kept this up for several mornings afterwards, until he finally managed to convince himself that yes, she was indeed alive again. It was like a miracle come true and he could never ask for more.

Life returned to normal, with many months passing.

Eventually, Team Fledge was given a graduation exam, where they had to retrieve a treasure from Mystifying Forest and defeat someone called 'the grand master of all things bad'. Since they bumped into Teddiursa and Ursaring along the way, the duo offered to guide them there.

As they approached the clearing, they did encounter the 'grand master' and his minions, though Piplup was very confused. The group were very clearly Wigglytuff and the guild members, but, for some reason, they were extremely intent on denying it.

They battled long and hard, two against nine - since Bidoof hadn't joined in the fight - but, eventually, they emerged victorious and the guild members ran away. Still horribly confused, Team Fledge continued on to retrieve the treasure. It turned out to be a perfect apple in a box.

It was then that a light shone down onto the nearby spring.

With time being out of balance, pokémon hadn't been able to evolve. Now that time had been fixed, though, it was possible again. One could evolve naturally, if they wished, but the easiest method was using Luminous Spring.

After watching Teddiursa evolve into an ursaring, Piplup became interested in the idea. Especially since it might make him stronger and, therefore, braver. When he tried, however, the spring refused. Apparently, he and Torchic had a 'distortion in the fabric of space' around them, which somehow prevented their evolution.

He couldn't say he understood, though it seemed there was nothing to be done about it for now. Judging by the look on Torchic's face, she didn't seem to know how she felt about this.

... Perhaps she didn't even know if she wanted to evolve, in the first place. After all, he wasn't even sure what she'd turn into, as he'd never seen an evolved torchic before.

Not that she could evolve, even if she wanted to, it seemed. At least for now. Maybe that would change somewhere down the line.

Shrugging it off for the moment, they headed back to the guild.

Once there, they were given congratulations and told that they'd graduated from the guild. Strangely, though, the guild members were still intent on denying their involvement earlier in the 'grand master' incident. Despite the fact that Team Fledge hadn't even told them about that fight.

... Well, whatever. Piplup was just happy that Team Fledge had graduated. They were still tied to the guild, and therefore still had to offer up most of their mission profits, but, otherwise, they were their own bosses now. He wasn't entirely sure how things would operate from now on, but he had to admit, it all sounded so exciting.

"Let's get a painting done to celebrate!" Wigglytuff said happily.

"Why, that's a great idea, guildmaster!" Chatot said, beaming. "I shall find and contact a smeargle immediately! Since they _are_ said to be the best at painting!"

"Yay, yay, painting~!" Wigglytuff danced around in a circle.

* * *

Later that day, everyone was standing outside of Wigglytuff's guild. The smeargle that Wigglytuff had commissioned was currently setting up his easel and canvas.

"This is so exciting!" Piplup said, turning to Torchic with a smile. "I can't believe we're getting a painting done!"

Torchic smiled back. "Yeah," she replied.

"That's right~!" Wigglytuff said, catching their attention. "And you can even keep it! It's for your graduation, after all~!"

Piplup beamed at him. "Really?"

"Yeppers~!"

"Wow, thanks!"

"Okay, ready!" Smeargle said. They all turned to him. "Now, uh..." Holding his paintbrush-shaped tail, he paused, looking around at the large group. "Everyone... please get yourselves into a pose you want me to paint. Uh, if that's okay."

There was a flapping of wings. "I think the new graduates should stand at the front," Chatot said.

"Hey, hey!" Corphish replied. "Sounds like a plan!"

"I totally agree!" Chimecho chimed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!" Sunflora cried. "Eeek!"

"Me too, by golly!" Bidoof replied. He blushed. "Though I'm all kinds of nervous, too! It's my first time getting painted, yup yup."

"You guys!" Loudred yelled. "Quit your yapping and get in position!"

"There is no need to yell," Dugtrio replied.

"Yeah, we're doing it..." Diglett replied nervously.

Croagunk merely chuckled, choosing not to say anything.

Afterwards, everyone complied, standing near the back and letting Team Fledge stand at the front. It was then that Piplup noticed something.

"Wait..." he said, looking around Smeargle, "where's your paint?"

Smeargle smiled at him. "Oh, I don't need that!" he replied. He lifted up his tail. The green marking on the end of it suddenly turned blue. "See? I can make my _own_ paint!" Then it changed to red, further proving his point.

"Wow!" Piplup turned to Torchic. "That's so cool, isn't it, Torchic?"

Torchic nodded. "Yeah," she replied.

"Okay, so, um..." Smeargle said, attracting their attention again. He looked unsure as his tail changed back to green. "What would you like me to...?"

"Okay!" Wigglytuff called out happily. "Let's all give a grand cheer for our new graduates! That can be our pose!"

"You heard him, everyone!" Chatot called out. "Hip hip!"

"Hooray!" everyone cheered, the ones who had arms punching the sky in joy. They held that pose for a few moments.

Smeargle brightened up. "Oh, okay!" he said. "Got it!"

He began feverishly painting on the canvas, the end of his tail rapidly changing colours as he worked. Piplup found it fascinating to watch.

Once he seemed to have worked his way through the entire spectrum of colours, Smeargle gave one final sweep across the canvas with his tail.

"AAAAnd... done!" he said. "Um... I hope it's okay."

Piplup lowered his flipper. "Wow, that was fast," he said.

"Yes," Chatot replied, "smeargle are incredibly fast at painting. It's in their blood! It's why a lot of smeargle are commissioned to paint outlaw wanted posters!"

Piplup glanced backwards at him, his eyes widening. "Really? I didn't know that."

"Well, now you do!"

"Let's see the painting!" Wigglytuff called out happily. "Let's see it!"

Everyone turned their gazes back to the front.

"Oh, well..." Smeargle replied, looking sheepish, "okay..." Grabbing the easel, he turned it around for them all to see. "Um..." He smiled awkwardly. "Tadaaaa..."

Piplup stared in awe. All of the colours, sizes and even poses were perfectly accurate. Complete with the backdrop of the evening sky and Wigglytuff's guild, it looked amazing.

"I love it!" he cried. He turned to Torchic. "What do _you_ think?"

She smiled at him. "It looks great," she replied.

"Yeah!" He turned back to Smeargle. "Thanks, Smeargle!"

Smeargle beamed in pride. "Oh!" he replied. "Yes! You're very welcome! If... if you ever need my service again, feel free to ask!"

"We will!" Wigglytuff replied. "Thank you, friend~!"

"By golly..." Bidoof said, his voice wobbling, "I'm... getting all emotional..."

Piplup turned to look at him in concern. "Bidoof?" he asked.

Bidoof sniffled. "It... it feels like only yesterday I made that wish... and now look at you all! You're all grown up and leaving the guild! Oof..."

"... Huh? Wish?"

"Oh, right, I never told you all." Bidoof walked forwards to stand in front of Team Fledge. "Before you two came to the guild, I went to see someone called Jirachi. A pokémon who grants wishes! Yup yup!"

Piplup's eyes widened. "Wishes?!"

"Yes sirree! And I wished for apprentices to join the guild! Ones I could teach stuff to! Then I could become a better explorer! Yup yup!"

"... Really?!" Loudred asked loudly. "_That's_ what you wished for?!"

"Oh my gosh!" Sunflora cried, beaming. "That's such a mature and responsible wish!"

Bidoof blushed in pride. "Aw shucks," he replied. "Well, I don't know about _that_..."

"... Wait, but," Piplup said, "I joined the guild because I found my relic fragment! I wandered too far from home one day, got horribly lost and found it!" He paused in thought. "Did your wish really make that happen?"

"Gosh, I... I dunno! I only wished for apprentices, yup yup... I dunno what Jirachi did with that wish, exactly..."

"Hmm, is that so?"

He heard Torchic hum to herself in thought. Looking at her, she seemed to have something on her mind, as she was spacing out slightly.

He'd be sure to ask her what that was about later.

* * *

Since Team Fledge's graduation meant they could no longer live in Wigglytuff's guild, Piplup suggested moving into his old home, Sharpedo Bluff.

Hanging the painting on the rock wall of his open air home, he smiled at it. It truly was a beautiful painting. Not to mention a great way to commemorate them graduating from the guild. The wooden and glass frame that Chatot had placed it in was a lovely brown, with ornate patterns on it.

He turned around to see Torchic looking out across the sea, through the open jaws of the cliffside.

"It's... nice being back here again," she said.

"Isn't it, though?" Piplup asked, smiling.

The last time they'd lived here, they'd been with Grovyle, vowing to find the time gears and the Hidden Land. It didn't feel all that long ago, but it had been many months since then.

Piplup still sometimes thought of Grovyle. He hadn't been all that close to him, but losing him had hurt, after all they'd been through. He hoped that, somehow, somewhere in the future world, Grovyle had managed to survive time being restored.

Not that he'd be likely to see him again, either way, but still.

"... Oh!" he said, suddenly remembering something. "That's right! Were you thinking about something earlier? You looked like you were spacing out a bit."

"... Oh, right," she replied. "Yeah." She walked over to him. "What Bidoof said... about the wishes thing..."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think... his wish is what turned me into a pokémon?"

Piplup jumped in shock. "What?!" He paused, collecting his thoughts. "Well... I guess it makes sense... so maybe? Around what time did it happen?" He paused again, then shook his head. "No, what am I thinking? Time would've been all screwy in the dimensional hole, wouldn't it? Uh, I mean the passage of time. Yeah, you could've been at any point in time when you got separated from Grovyle..." He paused a third time. "Still, though... if it was around the same time I found my relic fragment... then..."

"Maybe it was Jirachi who made me a torchic..."

Turning around, Torchic went back to staring out across the sea, deep in contemplation.

* * *

The next day, when Piplup woke up, he briefly wondered where Loudred was with his usual wake-up call. Then he remembered that he was back in Sharpedo Bluff, which meant waking up whenever he pleased, and never again rushing to the morning briefings. He smiled to himself as he yawned. Graduating was such a privilege. He'd be sure to cherish it every day.

Rubbing his eye, he looked over at Torchic's hay bed, but paused when he noticed that she wasn't sleeping on it. He looked around for her briefly, before he saw her standing by the cliff's jaw again, overlooking the sea.

"... Torchic?" he asked, still feeling sleepy.

She turned around. "Oh," she replied, smiling. "Morning."

He stared at her, noting how the morning light was shining off her orange and yellow feathers, brightening her smile into a radiant glow. Behind her, the sea sparkled in the sun, seeming to make her glow even more.

A sudden pressure built up inside his chest.

He'd felt this sensation a lot lately. The only consistent thing was that it always seemed to happen around Torchic. Especially when she smiled.

It was a pleasant feeling, yet, at the same time, it was uncomfortable. Like a dam that was fit to burst.

Normally, he'd brush it under the rug and assume it was nothing. In his tired state, however, he couldn't help but picture himself walking over to Torchic and wrapping his flippers around her. Holding her close, with her head resting on his chest as she nuzzled affectionately into his feathers.

He wondered briefly why he'd be imagining such a thing. It wasn't as if he had romantic feelings for her, or anything, after all.

His tired brain lingered on this thought. Feelings...

"... You okay?" Torchic asked, looking concerned.

He blinked, then shook his head to clear it. "Uh, yeah!" he replied. "Yeah, I'm fine!" He laughed, though it sounded awkward to his own ears.

"... Hmm." She turned around, looking out across the sea again. "... It's a really pretty view."

"Yeah. It is."

It took him a second to realise that he wasn't looking at the sea. He shook his head again, in a second attempt to clear it.

Unable to help himself, however, he went back to watching her.

Feelings. Could it really be true? Did he have feelings for Torchic? For Kathryn?

He felt the pressure inside his chest begin to loosen. It didn't feel quite as uncomfortable. It even felt more pleasant than before.

... Perhaps he did, then. Perhaps he did have feelings for her.

He began to feel the pressure in his chest loosen more and more, feeling like a broken dam that was rapidly losing water. The crack got larger and larger, until it exploded from him in a waterfall of emotions.

Wow. This was the same feeling he'd had when Torchic had somehow come back to life. After so many months of believing he'd never see her again, there she'd been, right in front of him. He'd felt so many emotions that he hadn't been able to handle them all.

It was the exact same feeling.

His eyes widened in shock. He was in love with Torchic.

He stared in horror. This was his best friend, his partner, and he'd fallen in love with her. Not to mention, she was a human. Even though only a few select pokémon had been told about it, it didn't make it any less true.

Not even the members of Wigglytuff's guild knew. When Team Fledge had come back from a ruined future, and Piplup had explained the story of Grovyle and Dusknoir, he'd only said that Torchic had been Grovyle's partner. He'd said nothing about her being a human.

Back when they'd first met, he knew her name would stick out like a sore thumb. After all, pokémon were only ever called by their species name, so a torchic named 'Kathryn' would raise a lot of questions. Hence why he'd suggested calling her 'Torchic' in public. Though he'd sometimes called her 'Kathryn' in private.

He'd only slipped up once, and that had been when he'd been in an overly emotional state of mind.

... Was it okay for a pokémon to love a human? He wasn't really sure.

Either way, there was no way he could bring this up with her. The thought alone made him shiver in fear, as he had no idea how she'd react to the news.

No. He'd keep this to himself for now. He simply wasn't brave enough to tell her...

* * *

Later that morning, Piplup was tying a persim band around his neck, as it was his preferred choice of scarf in dungeons.

Back when Team Fledge had first started out, he'd tried a variety of different options, usually leaning more towards defensive scarves, such as defence bands, or zinc bands. Torchic, on the other hand, had preferred offensive scarves, such as power bands, or special bands. After a while, though, it had become apparent how crippling confusion could be to their team, so they'd stuck to persim bands for the most part.

Done with tying his scarf, he threw the strap of his treasure bag over his shoulder.

"Okay, your turn!" he said, picking up a second persim band.

Torchic smiled, standing perfectly still as Piplup tied it around her neck. Since she had such limited movement in her tiny wings, he'd always done this for her. Not that he minded, of course. He'd been doing it since the day they'd formed an exploration team, so it was second nature by now.

He hadn't been able to do it in the months she'd been gone, but he'd fallen right back into it the second she'd come back.

"Thanks," she said once he was done.

"Right, now for the bag." He picked up her treasure bag.

Smiling, she angled her body, so that it was easier for him to hook the strap around her neck. As he did so, he paused at the feeling of his flipper against her side. Her feathers were always so warm.

He'd heard that torchic in general had a fire burning inside their bellies. Against his colder feathers, it felt so cosy and comforting. Especially since they were _her_ feathers.

"... Piplup?" she asked. "You okay?"

He blinked, shaking his head out of the clouds, and smiled. "Yep!" he replied. "I'm fine!" He moved away, the heat leaving his feathers. "Well, are you ready for another day of exploring?"

She gave him a determined smile and nodded. "Yeah."

That smile. He'd always loved that smile. The way her eyes shone with a fierce determination and confidence. The kind of confidence that he often wished he'd had, growing up.

Seeing her furrowed brows and uplifted beak had the power to wash away all of his fears, helping him face up to any challenge. He'd have never coped as an explorer without it. Especially not in the ruined future, when he hadn't known who to trust or how to get home. He'd been so lost and scared, but that smile had brought him courage when he'd most needed it.

He shook his head again, telling himself to stop spacing out around her. He didn't want to start arousing suspicion, after all.

Instead, he beamed. "Right, then let's go! Time for another good day, Torchic!"

"Yeah!"


	3. To Explore and Rescue

Author's note: Sup, dawgs?

I gave this chapter a massive tune-up for posting day, since I didn't think it was quiiiite up to snuff. Now, I'm a lot happier with it, so I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Chapter Three****: To Explore and Rescue**

One day, Team Fledge heard from the folks at Spinda's Café about a place called Sky Peak. It had apparently been blocked off from the outside world for a long time, due to an earthquake, so nobody had explored it thoroughly. Now, however, thanks to Spinda's survey team, and the recycling project known as Project P, it was finally open again. At the summit was said to be an incredible treasure that rivalled all other treasures.

Excited at the mere thought, Team Fledge and a large group of other explorers went to visit a place at the bottom of Sky Peak called Shaymin Village. There, they encountered a lot of shaymin, one of which was nice enough to guide Piplup and Torchic all the way up the mountain.

The journey was long and arduous, and filled with countless traps. The trio had to use up many berries and seeds to keep up their strength, especially since many pokémon were battling them along the way. Either for personal challenge, to help give passing explorers a little help with their training, or - for the more aggressive ones - to get the invaders out of their territory. Thankfully, though, there were bases stationed after every pass for them to rest at, and restock on supplies.

It was rather nice, being able to travel in a grass, fire and water trio again. Team Fledge hadn't done that since Grovyle had left to go back to the future. It would normally be good for helping them cover each other's weaknesses, but Sky Peak seemed to be full of mostly grass-types, anyway. Between them, he and Torchic could handle them just fine.

Shaymin was good with status moves, however. As such, while she used Leech Seed and Sweet Scent to hinder their opponents, the other two would get to work. Torchic would blast them away with either Flamethrower or Aerial Ace, and Piplup would do the same with either Drill Peck or Ice Beam.

Once they reached the fourth station clearing, they discovered that a fellow explorer named Sneasel, who was known for going solo, needed rescuing at the fifth station clearing. Team Frontier bolted off to save him, and Team Fledge followed. Upon driving off the gang of carnivine that had been harassing Sneasel, they continued up Sky Peak.

The sixth station clearing was where things got trickier, as Team Frontier weren't able to build any bases past that point, due to snow. As a result, Team Fledge had to be very careful with their remaining rations.

It wasn't until the seventh station clearing that they saw Sneasel again. Since he'd fainted and needed help, they went to the eighth station clearing and asked Shaymin's friend, Ampharos, for help. He brought the barely conscious Sneasel back with him, resting him on a hay bed. Satisfied that he was going to be fine, they moved on.

Eventually, they reached the summit. Piplup was excited to see what he would find up there, so high in the sky. What he hadn't expected was for it to be filthy and overrun with territorial grimer and muk. With the help of Team Frontier, they defeated them in battle, and it became apparent that the grimer and muk hadn't actually caused the filth. They'd merely mistaken the summit for their home, as it hadn't been cleaned in so long.

They agreed to leave peacefully, and Shaymin used a special power to absorb the dirt and cleanse the air, restoring the summit to its former glory.

As it turned out, the 'treasure' was merely the view from the mountain top. Not that Piplup minded, really, looking at it. The pink petals of gracidea flowers were breaking free and billowing in the wind, floating above other mountains that barely peeked out through a sea of clouds, and all of it was sitting underneath a clear sky full of stars.

As he stood on the edge of the mountain, overlooking the view, he couldn't help but think that the long, hard exploration had all been worth it. Huffing out a breath of satisfied air, he glanced sideways at Torchic, who was admiring the view.

He continued to watch her. The romantic air of the summit was not lost on him. No, not at all. It was a perfect date spot, as the view over the mountain was breathtakingly beautiful, and the intense hike up Sky Peak somehow made it all the _more_ rewarding and beautiful. Feelings were overflowing, and it was very tempting to confess his feelings to her, right then and there.

She was standing right next to him, so it would be very easy, but he just couldn't bring himself to. Not with everyone around, and especially not with his lack of bravery.

It would have to be a moment lost...

* * *

Once Team Fledge and Team Frontier were done sightseeing, Shaymin changed formes, using the power of the gracidea flowers, and flew the whole group of five back down the mountain. Apparently, she was a lot stronger than she looked. Afterwards, Team Fledge headed back home to Sharpedo Bluff.

The following day, Piplup and Torchic agreed that they wanted to head back to the eighth station clearing to check on Sneasel, so, after preparations, they made the long trek up Sky Peak a second time.

When they finally reached the base, Ampharos told them that Sneasel was no longer there, but he had left them a sky gift. Piplup made a mental note to thank him when he next saw him in person. Especially since it turned out to be a zinc, and those things were hard to come by.

* * *

Time passed. Then, one day, as Team Fledge were heading out of town, they bumped into Mr. Mime, who told them a story. Apparently, many years ago, a famous explorer known as Scizor had travelled to Blizzard Island and never returned. Mr. Mime had wondered if Team Fledge would be willing to investigate the matter.

Piplup was still in a stupor after Mr. Mime had gone back into Spinda's Café.

"... What's wrong, Piplup?" Torchic asked.

Piplup jumped, surprised at the sound of her voice. "Huh?" he asked. "Well..." He paused, thinking over what Mr. Mime had said. "I'm just wondering why I've never heard this Scizor story..."

"Well... I've never heard it either."

"Yeah, but... you don't come from this world. I come from Blizzard Island and I've never heard about it."

Torchic's eyes widened. "You're from Blizzard Island?"

He stared at her. "... Huh? Wait... did I never tell you where I come from?"

She gave him a sheepish smile. "Nope..."

He blushed. "Oh! Right! Sorry! I guess I forgot!" Smiling, he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

She chuckled. "That's alright. I guess I never thought to ask. So what was it like?"

He beamed. "Oh, it was great! I lived with my mom and dad, and the place is always covered in snow!"

Her eyes widened again. "... Your mom and dad?"

"Yeah!" He paused. "Wait... did I forget to mention them, too?"

"A little." She paused, looking displeased with herself. "I can't believe I never thought to ask..."

"It's okay." Piplup paused in thought. "Did... you have any family in the future world?"

Torchic shrugged. "Heck if I know." She looked off into the distance contemplatively. "I don't remember anything about that."

"... Well, Grovyle said you two had nothing to go back to, right?" Piplup's shoulders slumped in sadness. "So that might mean..."

"... Yeah..."

A minute of silence was shared between them.

Eventually, Torchic turned back to give Piplup a small smile. "So what are your parents like?"

Piplup smiled back. Of course she'd try to cheer him up at a time like this. That was just like her.

"Well, my dad's a delibird and my mom's a prinplup!"

She looked intrigued. "Oh." She tilted her head. "... I have no idea what those are."

"Oh! Right, well, you'll probably see some while we're over there. Prinplup are like me, but bigger... and delibird are red and white birds that fly!"

She smiled. "Ah, okay."

"In fact... my dad's the reason I'm over _here_ and not still in Blizzard Island!" He gave an embarrassed laugh.

She blinked, looking confused. "Huh?"

"Well, see... I was really timid, as you know... but it was worse back then! I'd found my relic fragment and was all geared up for adventure, and explorations, and treasure-hunting! But I was too scared to, you know... actually go."

"Ah."

"So my dad stuffed me in his sack... tail... thing and flew me here!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! He dropped me off, said good luck and off he went!"

"... Wait... I thought you said you lived in Sharpedo Bluff."

"Oh. Well... I wanted to join the guild as soon as I got here, but, uh... well, I was too scared."

"... So you moved into Sharpedo Bluff and just...?"

Piplup's shoulders slumped again. "Stayed there for a while, yeah."

Torchic giggled one of her rare girlish giggles. It rang in his ears like a melody.

When she was finished, she smiled amusedly at him. "That's just like you."

He blushed again. "Y-Yeah, well..."

She shook her head. "I keep telling you, you're plenty brave."

"... Only when _you're_ nearby."

"You managed for months without me. You're stronger than you think."

"Well..."

"Come on." She turned in the direction that led out of town. "Let's go look for Scizor."

He sighed, but smiled at her. "Okay."

She paused. "... Where did Mr. Mime say Blizzard Island was, again?"

Pulling his map out of his treasure bag, Piplup opened it and showed her. "Here."

"... Wait... isn't that across the sea?"

He looked at her in confusion. "... Yeah?"

She looked directly at him, her blue eyes boring into his. "... How did you cross it?"

"... Huh?"

He thought about her question for a moment, until it registered what she meant. "Oh! Because of the time I said we couldn't cross the sea?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Well... like I said, my dad flew me over. I thought about swimming it myself, but there was no way I had the stamina for that. Besides, the waters get really rough around these parts."

"... Ah. I'd wondered why you couldn't swim it."

"Yeah, there's no way I'd make it. I'm not _that_ great a swimmer. Plus, I'd never be able to get _you_ across, too."

"... True."

"Anyway, we should go see Lapras."

"Yeah." Torchic paused a moment. "... Race ya." She bolted for the beach before he could process what she'd said.

"What-? Hey, wait!" He ran after her. "Torchiiiic!"

* * *

Team Fledge travelled through Blizzard Island, the cold weather and snow not really affecting either of them, as one had grown up around it and the other was a fire-type. It was also rather dark, but Torchic kept the pathway lit with occasional bursts of fire. Piplup was tempted to take a few shortcuts through the freezing cold water - especially if it would help him avoid traps - but Torchic refused to follow him, due to her typing, so he refrained.

On their journey, they battled various pokémon of different types. The most tricky ones to deal with were the water-types, since neither him nor Torchic had any moves to combat them. It made Piplup wish they had Shaymin's Magical Leaf, or Grovyle's Leaf Blade, to help balance things out, but alas.

As they travelled, they asked around the houses if anyone had ever seen or heard of an explorer called Scizor. None of them had. After a while of this, they began to lose hope of finding him. Not that it was likely that he'd still be here, unless he'd died here, or something...

As they neared another house, Piplup beamed. "Oh, hey, it's my parents' house!" he cried happily. "Come on, let's go say hi!"

Torchic smiled back at him. "Sure," she replied.

Still beaming, Piplup rushed over to the front door and knocked. He waited for a few moments, before the door opened. In front of him stood a very familiar delibird.

"Hi, Dad!" he said.

Delibird smiled at him. "Oh!" he replied. "Welcome back, son." He turned his head, facing inside the house. "Hon, it's Piplup!"

"Piplup?!" a voice responded. After a few moments, a familiar prinplup appeared in the doorway. "Heeey, son!"

"Hi, Mom!" Piplup replied.

Prinplup smirked. "Judging by that explorer bag, you didn't quite chicken out of joining the guild, then."

Piplup beamed proudly. "Nope!"

Prinplup looked to the side of him. "Speaking of chickens... hello there."

"Hi," Torchic replied.

"Mom, Dad," Piplup said, "this is my partner, Torchic. We're two halves of Team Fledge!"

"Team Fledge..." Delibird muttered. "Isn't that the name we've been hearing lately?"

Prinplup's eyes widened.

"Oh, you've heard of us?" Piplup asked, surprised.

"Only the odd rumour," Delibird replied.

"Oh, wow... I can't believe it spread this far out."

"That's it," Prinplup said, "you just _have_ to come in and tell us all about your adventure!"

"Please do," Delibird said with a pleasant smile. "Tell us if the rumours are true."

Piplup gave a merry chuckle. "Sure thing!" he replied.

"Yeah," Torchic agreed, nodding.

"Great!" Prinplup said. "I'll put on some tea!" She smirked lightly at her son. "Unless you still prefer juice."

Piplup blushed very slightly. "... Tea's fine," he replied.

He heard Torchic chuckle next to him.

* * *

What was meant to be a flying visit turned out to be much longer than expected. Delibird and Prinplup insisted on knowing all the details about Piplup's life at the guild, as well as everything about his partner, Torchic. He told them all he could, aside from Torchic being a human. He didn't like to reveal that, unless people really needed to know.

Regardless, they were both horrified and fascinated by his stories and, by the time he was done, night had fallen.

"Wow," Delibird said with a smile, "you've been through so much."

"Yeah!" Prinplup agreed, grinning. "Considering you used to be afraid of your own shadow, it's pretty dang impressive!"

Piplup blushed. "M-Mom, I wasn't that bad!" he protested.

"Oh yeah?" Prinplup looked over at Torchic. "How about I give your friend a list?"

Torchic chuckled, though also tilted her head in intrigue.

Piplup gasped in horror. "No, don't do that!"

Delibird chuckled. "Now, dear..." he said.

Prinplup shrugged innocently. "What?" she asked.

"Don't tease the boy."

"It's a miracle he agreed to be carried across the sea, honestly."

"True as that may be, lay off him a little."

"Heh, fine." Prinplup's grin softened into a smile. "Seriously, though, son... we're proud of you."

Piplup blinked. "... You are?" he asked.

"Of course! You conquered your fears and saved the freaking world! How could we _not_ be proud?"

Delibird nodded. "She's right," he agreed. "Good job."

Piplup was so shocked and touched that his eyes misted over. "Th-Thanks, Mom and Dad..." he replied.

"No problem, son!" Prinplup said. She looked over at Torchic again, grinning. "You're just lucky you've got your partner here, giving you courage, eh?"

Torchic blinked, then smiled. "... I try," she replied.

Prinplup laughed. "Aww, what would you do without her?"

Piplup slumped his shoulders, heaving a sigh. He hated to admit it, but she was right...

* * *

The following day, Team Fledge set off on their quest again. Unfortunately, Piplup's parents had no idea who Scizor was, either, so they had absolutely nothing to go on. Still, they pressed forward.

After a while, they reached a place called Crevice Cave. Inside, they continued searching around, battling pokémon, asking questions and trying to avoid traps. Eventually, they found a pokémon encased in ice.

Shocked, they slowly approached, only to be blasted with a wave of cold air. It was followed by a menacing giggle.

* * *

Later, Team Fledge were back in Sharpedo Bluff, with Piplup staring at the new star on his explorer badge. He was still having trouble processing what had happened earlier.

Scizor had been encased in ice. Not for years, but decades. Tens of tens of years, guarded by the creepiest froslass that Piplup had ever met. She'd been lording over Scizor's frozen form like a trophy.

Perhaps she'd been an obsessed fan of his, or perhaps she simply wasn't right in the head. Regardless, Torchic had made easy work of her with Flamethrower and Shadow Claw. So much so that Piplup hadn't really needed to help much. Unfortunately, she'd escaped, but Piplup would be sure to mention her name, get her picture painted and have her arrested for kidnapping.

Once they'd rescued Scizor, he'd told him that he was a member of the Exploration Federation and granted them 'secret rank', whatever that was. Piplup had always been told that master rank was the highest an exploration team could go, so he'd asked around about secret rank. Nobody, not even Wigglytuff or Chatot, had known what secret rank was.

He was so perplexed.

"... Scizor did say decades, right?" Torchic asked.

He looked up at her. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm _sure_ he did." He stared at his explorer badge again. "Can you believe it? Decades!"

"That's... a long time to be frozen."

"No kidding!"

"... Can you imagine... how much life he's lost out on?"

He looked up at her, blinking. "Huh?"

"Being frozen for so long..."

He blinked again. His eyes widened when what she'd said registered.

Scizor had probably lost out on so much. For two, three, maybe even four decades. All of his family would be old, and the world would be so unfamiliar. He couldn't fathom losing out on so much.

Time really was precious. Like Scizor, you could lose many, many years of your life in the blink of an eye...

"Yeah..." Piplup replied.

"Though..." Torchic continued, giving him a small smile, "at least he's alive, right?"

He blinked again. She was always so good at seeing the positive in things. He smiled back. "Yeah! Yeah, you're right! Thanks, Torchic!"

Her smile warmed. "... No problem."


	4. To Find and Raise

Author's note: Howdy! Happy belated New Year!

Just so you know, I went back to chapter two and added a load of narrative to the beginning section. The bit before Team Fledge have their graduation painting done. To sum it up very, very briefly...

(Piplup) "Evolving? That sounds neat! I wanna evolve, too! Oh, but I can't? And neither can Torchic? That sucks..."

... For some reason, I didn't think to add this section back when I wrote the chapter, so I've gone back and amended that!

Hope you like the new content, as well as the new chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Four****: To Find and Raise**

Time passed, until, one day, Team Fledge heard of a place called Surrounded Sea from Sunflora. Apparently, no one had been inside it for 'tens of thousands of years', which sounded like a heck of a long time to Piplup's ears. Not only that, but treasure had been washing in from the sea currents, so there was a lot to be discovered there.

Not ones to turn down such an exciting opportunity, Team Fledge went to investigate. After a long time exploring, they discovered an interesting item.

"Wow..." Piplup murmured, holding the item up to the light that shone down from above. The inside sloshed around, glowing an eerie blue and red colour. "What do you think it is?"

Torchic took a few steps forward and squinted at it. "... It... kind of looks like an egg?" she said.

His eyes widened. "An egg?! Are you sure?!" He looked the item over again. "... I dunno, eggs don't usually look like _this_..."

They'd encountered a few of them before, some of which had been abandoned and some of which had been thrust upon them, for one reason or another. They came in a variety of colours, but they were never transparent.

"Yeah, but..." Torchic said, "it has the right shape?"

"Hmm..." he replied. Now that he looked at it, he could see a distinct egg shape. "... Maybe you're right." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wait..." He looked around the area, but there didn't seem to be anyone nearby. "If this is an egg, then... where are its parents?"

Torchic blinked, then looked around. "... Uhhhh... I dunno."

Panic rose inside him. "What if they lost it?! Come on, we gotta find its parents!"

Holding the egg securely in his flippers, Piplup made his way back where he'd come from. Behind him, he heard Torchic running to keep up. Not that she'd have much trouble, since she was much more limber than him.

* * *

Team Fledge spent a while asking around, to see if anybody owned the egg, to no avail. Nobody wanted to claim it. As a result, they had to resort to Plan B, which was to take the egg back to Treasure Town. There, they'd hand it over to Chansey Day Care, since Chansey specialised in hatching and raising baby pokémon.

Unfortunately, since they'd been exploring Surrounded Sea all day - mostly because of Piplup being morbidly curious about the place - Chansey Day Care had closed for the night.

Instead, they decided to make a new hay bed in Sharpedo Bluff and sit the egg on it. The following morning, they would give it to Chansey Day Care, as planned.

When morning came, however, the baby suddenly hatched, and a blobby blue pokémon was in its place. Almost instantly, Piplup and Torchic got oddly attached to him. He was adorable. They had no idea what he was, though, so they took him to the guild. According to Chatot, he was a legendary pokémon named Manaphy.

When Manaphy started crying from hunger, Chatot suggested feeding him blue gummis, since they'd been made with water-types in mind. Piplup thought it was a shame, since he'd been saving those for himself, but he figured the baby did need them more than him.

Manaphy's bright, beaming smile said it all. He loved them. As he ran up to Torchic, dancing in joy, Piplup couldn't help but be charmed by him. Gosh darn it, he was so adorable. He wasn't sure he wanted to give the little guy to Chansey, after all.

In a spur of the moment decision, he turned to Torchic, asking what she thought about looking after him for a while. With a smile, she turned back to him and nodded, so it seemed that she agreed with him. Chatot didn't seem to think it was a good idea - since Manaphy had come from the sea - but Piplup was sure it would be alright. At least, for the moment.

A few days passed, with Team Fledge being too busy to do missions. Thankfully, they were independent of Wigglytuff's guild now, so it wasn't too much of a problem. Instead, they spent their days looking after their new housemate in Sharpedo Bluff.

During that time, Manaphy demanded more and more blue gummis, continually draining their stock. It was fortunate they'd had so many in Kangaskhan Storage beforehand.

One day, they decided to take the baby down to the beach, where they introduced him to the sea. He really seemed to enjoy himself, as he danced around the shoreline.

When his stubby feet touched the water, he yelped out in shock.

Piplup chuckled. "Is it cold?" he asked.

Manaphy looked up at him curiously. "Cold?" he asked.

"Yeah." He placed his own foot in the water and shivered slightly at the temperature. Not too much, however, since he was quite used to cold weather. "Cold."

Manaphy smiled. "Cold!"

Torchic chuckled in amusement.

* * *

The following day, Team Fledge decided to visit Spinda's Café for a drink. Manaphy was waddling along behind them.

"Goomi, goomi!" Manaphy said happily, tugging on Piplup's flipper.

Piplup laughed at the boy's insatiable craving for blue gummis. He never wanted to eat anything else.

"Don't worry, we're getting you a gummi!" he replied. "A _special_ gummi!"

Manaphy looked puzzled. "... Spesha goomi?"

"Yeah!" They stopped by the counter. "You'll see!"

"Oh!" Spinda said, jumping in surprise. He beamed. "Welcome! If it isn't the cute little baby who's the talk of the town!"

Manaphy beamed back. "Baybay!" he replied.

"So what can I get you?"

Piplup fished around in his treasure bag. Once he found what he was looking for, he pulled out a red gummi, a blue gummi and a silver gummi. With a smile, he put them on the counter.

"Three gummi smoothies, please!" he said.

"Gotcha!"

"Goomi... smoovies?" Manaphy asked.

Spinda's face lit up. "Oh, you don't know what smoothies are? Well, allow me to show you!"

He grabbed his smoothie shaker, ready to begin the show.

* * *

Manaphy was still in awe as the smoothies were handed to them on a tray. Piplup had to admit, he never got tired of watching Spinda make smoothies. The guy's shaking and spinning was so mesmerising.

"Cooool..." Manaphy muttered.

Piplup chuckled. "Yeah, it was pretty good, wasn't it?" he replied. "Come on."

He looked around the many tables for an empty one. The café wasn't too busy today, though, so it wasn't too hard.

He remembered back when the café had first opened, and there had only been four tables. After a while, however, business had boomed, so many more had been added.

He walked towards an empty table in the middle of the room, which sat in-between the counters. Manaphy and Torchic followed behind him, the latter looking very amused by the former's enthusiasm.

They each picked a hay chair and sat down on it. Piplup placed the silver smoothie next to him, then passed the blue smoothie to Manaphy. As the boy stared at it, Piplup passed the red smoothie to Torchic.

She nodded at him. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem!" he replied.

"Goomi?" Manaphy asked, eyeing up the glass he'd been handed.

Piplup beamed at him. "Yep! It's a gummi smoothie!"

"Goomi smoovie?"

"Yeah! Try it, Manaphy!"

Manaphy blinked at it. He turned to look at Torchic, who was sipping her red gummi smoothie through a straw and looking very content.

He turned back to his drink and copied her, sipping from the straw. His eyes lit up in surprise. "Cold goomi!" he cried.

Torchic snorted against her straw. The sound made Piplup laugh, too.

"Yeah, it's cold, 'cause it's made with milk!" he said.

"Milk?"

"Yep! Milk!"

"Shipped straight from a farm of generous miltank!" Spinda interjected from nearby.

Apparently, he'd been eavesdropping, though Piplup didn't really mind.

"Yep!" Wynaut added from the other counter, catching everyone's attention. "That's the way it is, alright!"

Wobbuffet, who was standing next to him, saluted. "That's right!" she replied.

He turned to her. "But why?"

She didn't respond, her expression neutral.

He continued. "Then again..." He shrugged comedically. "Why not, right?"

She saluted back at him, more exaggeratedly this time. "Thaaaat's right!"

Piplup gave a mild chuckle as the duo bowed. When they weren't recycling unwanted items, that brother and sister duo were always pushing their strange comedy act. He thought it was kind of charming.

He looked at the other two pokémon at his table. Manaphy didn't seem to understand the joke and Torchic looked exasperated, but she was still smiling.

He chuckled again at the cute sight.

"Anyway, Manaphy!" he said happily. "Do you like your smoothie? Is it tasty?"

Manaphy turned to him, beaming. "Yay!" he replied. "Tasty!" He went back to sipping his smoothie.

Happy that the baby was happy, Piplup took a sip of his own smoothie. As it hit his tongue, it tasted strangely metallic. He pulled a face as he sipped a bit more.

"... How is it, Piplup?" Torchic asked.

He looked up at her concerned face. Smiling at her, he sighed. "It's okay," he replied. "Not great, but okay."

"Ah..." Torchic paused for a moment. "We don't have anything else?"

"Nope. Red, blue and silver were all we had."

"Ah."

Of course, Piplup's favourites were the blue gummis. He'd been saving a huge stash to drink at Spinda's Café whenever he liked. Since Manaphy had liked them so much, though, he figured the little guy should have them, instead.

Torchic's favourites were the red gummis, so that meant Piplup would get the leftovers.

After a moment's contemplation, Torchic nudged her own glass slightly. "You can have mine, if you want."

He smiled warmly at her generosity. "Thanks, but I'm not too fond of the red ones, either." He blinked, remembering something. "And... didn't you say you don't really like the silver ones?"

She strained a smile. "... I'll persevere."

He couldn't help a laugh escaping at that. Typical Kathryn...

"Okay, no." He pulled his smoothie closer to him across the table. "You enjoy your red gummi and I'll make do with the silver one."

She looked surprised. "... Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yep! I'll persevere!"

She smiled in amusement at him copying her wording.

Suddenly, there was a clunk and a splash. Piplup's head whipped around, only for him to see Manaphy covered in his blue gummi smoothie.

The baby blinked once, then twice. As he finally registered what had happened, he began to wail. His wailing grew in volume, until he was bawling.

Panic rose inside Piplup. "Oh no! Manaphy, are you okay?" He hurriedly looked around, his panic increasing. "Oh no, what do I do? What do I do?!"

It was then that he noticed that Torchic wasn't at the table anymore. She was running over from Spinda's counter with a few tissues in her beak.

As she stopped by Manaphy, she dropped the tissues on the table. She then picked up a single tissue to gently wipe away the wet patches on his arms and chest.

"S'okuh, Munuphuh..." she said around the tissue. "S'okuh..."

Manaphy sniffled, but otherwise seemed to have calmed down. Torchic dropped the sodden tissue on the table and replaced it with another one, wiping away at more wet patches. She continued this, until all of the tissues had been used and all of the smoothie had been cleaned up.

She huffed in relief. "There we go..." She smiled at Manaphy. "All better!"

Manaphy blinked at her. "... Better," he replied.

"Now be careful, okay? We'll get you a new smoothie, so try not to spill it."

Manaphy sniffled. "... Okay."

Still smiling, she looked up at Piplup. "Hey, Piplup. Can I have another blue gummi?"

Piplup hadn't realised he was staring. He blinked and shook his head, clearing away the fog inside it. He forced on an awkward smile.

"Uh, yeah, sure!" he replied. He began to dig around in his treasure bag. "Hold on a sec!"

It took longer than he'd liked to find the gummis. His mind couldn't stop picturing the motherly image he'd just seen from Torchic. It was a side he hadn't even known she had.

He tried really hard not to imagine her cleaning smoothie stains off their own children...

He shook his head a second time as he pulled out a blue gummi. "Here you go!" He halted when he realised that she couldn't carry it. "Uh, let me go get it!" He quickly stood up.

It had been a long time since he'd forgotten about her being unable to hold things. His brain must have really been out of it.

He hurried to Spinda's counter, bought another smoothie and brought it back to the table.

"Here you go, Manaphy!" he said, placing it on the table. "Now, please be careful, okay? Hold the glass firmly, like this." He held the glass between his flippers. "Then it won't fall." He smiled brightly. "Okay?"

Manaphy beamed back. "Okay!" he replied. He took the glass from Piplup, holding it with a firm grip as he sipped from the straw.

Piplup put his flippers on his hips, oddly proud of himself.

"Oh, that's so adorable!" Spinda said from his counter. Piplup looked up to see that Spinda was looking in their direction. "It's like he's your own kid!"

Piplup blushed slightly. "Well..." he replied awkwardly.

"Hey, yeah!" Wynaut agreed from the other counter. "He should be calling you 'Mama' and 'Papa'!"

"... Mama?" Manaphy asked. "Papa?"

"That's right!" Wobbuffet agreed.

Piplup panicked. "What?! No!" he cried, whipping around to face Manaphy. "It's Piplup and Torchic! _Piplup_ and _Torchic_!" He desperately looked up at Torchic. "Right?"

She had the strangest blush on her face, he couldn't help but notice. "... Right," she replied.

He stared at her for a few moments.

"You don't want him to call you 'Mama' and 'Papa'?" Wynaut asked. Piplup whirled around to face him. "Really?"

"That's right!" Wobbuffet said next to him.

He turned to his big sister, looking shocked. "Really?"

She turned to him, saluting. "That's right!"

He put his hands to his mouth in intrigue. "_Really_?"

She nodded. "That's right!"

He inched his face towards her, looking morbidly curious. "Really?!"

"Thaaaat's right!"

At the same time, they turned to look at Piplup, amused grins on their faces. "... But why not?" Wynaut asked.

As charming as Piplup found their comedy routines, he wasn't really in the mood for them right now.

"B... Because it's awkward, that's why!" he replied flusteredly. "We're not his mama and papa!"

"Mama and Papa?" Manaphy asked.

Piplup whirled around to face Manaphy again. "No!" He stopped himself at his loud volume. "I mean... no." He pointed to himself. "Piplup..." He pointed at Torchic, who looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Torchic."

"Piplup... Torchic."

Piplup beamed. "Right! Piplup and Torchic!"

He heard amused laughter across the café. Tiredly, he heaved a sigh. What an ordeal...

* * *

A few more days passed, then Manaphy went missing.

Team Fledge searched all over Treasure Town, only to find him collapsing on the beach. He was running a dangerous fever, so they went to Chatot for advice. He urged them to hurry over to Miracle Sea, where they would find phione dew, a medicine said to cure any illness.

They sailed across the sea on Lapras, while Chatot looked after Manaphy. Upon arriving, they trekked all the way through Miracle Sea, until they reached the very end. It was a place known as Miracle Seabed, where they saved a group of phione from a greedy gyarados, who wanted the phione dew all to himself. Piplup made a mental note to report him later, but he had bigger priorities right now.

Before he could even ask for it, the phione gratefully gave them some phione dew. Thanking them for the gift, they rushed back home.

* * *

Sometime later, Piplup was sniffling, tears blocking his vision, as he watched Walrein - a friend of Wigglytuff and Chatot's - drag Manaphy into the sea. The baby was crying, kicking and screaming, but Piplup knew this was for the best. As Chatot had said, Manaphy wasn't built to live on land. Purely being out of the sea had made him sick, so it was logical to send him back.

He hated it, since he'd grown so fond of Manaphy, but it had to be done.

He just hoped that the boy would never forget him and Torchic. Or, even worse, come to resent them for letting him go...

* * *

That evening, Team Fledge trudged over to Spinda's Café, in an attempt to cheer themselves up. Since they'd run out of gummis in the past week, however, they decided to buy apple teas, instead.

So far, the drinks didn't seem to be helping much.

Piplup was slumped over the table and fiddling with his teacup. It was a simple design for a teacup, having no handle and being taller than the ones that did have one. The reason for the design was that the drink inside, which contained no milk, was heated, but not boiled. Because of this, the cup was meant to be held in his flippers, so that he could fully enjoy its warmth, but it wouldn't be hot enough to burn him.

He wasn't really in the mood to drink it, though.

"... Do you think we'll see him again?" he asked, looking sideways at Torchic.

Unable to hold her own teacup, Torchic had a straw in her drink. Despite this, she didn't seem in the mood for the apple tea, either.

"... Maybe..." she murmured.

He sighed.

Piplup missed Manaphy, and he could tell that Torchic did, too. She'd barely said anything after Walrein had taken the boy away. He hoped that she'd recover soon, though he knew it wouldn't be easy.

It wouldn't be easy for him, either.


	5. To Discover and Try

Author's note: Heyo! How's it shakin'?

Well, this chapter is the last one that I had saved in backup, so that means I actually need to start writing it again! Regardless, I hope this chapter tides you all over, until I can write more!

Also, last chapter, I tried my absolute darndest to turn Wynaut and Wobbuffet into the comedy routine they were supposed to be (you know, in the original Japanese version) but... good lord, it's almost impossible to translate that joke into English. XD I tried my best, though...

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Five****: To Discover and Try**

A week passed, with Team Fledge getting back into doing missions. They'd fallen a bit behind while looking after Manaphy, but they tried their best to make up for it. They threw themselves into their work, vowing to always do their best, and, gradually, their moods began to improve.

One morning, they decided to start the day in Spinda's Café. Piplup ordered them an oran berry au lait each, getting a straw for Torchic, and they sat down at a table.

Picking up his small teacup by the handle, he gave it a quick sip. It was far too hot to drink yet, though, so he placed it back down.

He was just about to discuss with Torchic what sort of missions they should do for the day, when a beautifly approached them with a letter.

From the description she gave, it sounded like it had come from Scizor, the explorer they'd saved from Crevice Cave. Perplexed, yet curious, Piplup read the letter once the beautifly had left. As he learned about the mission that was on it, his face lit up in wonder.

"What's it say?" Torchic asked.

He lowered the letter, smiling at her in excitement. "Well-!" he began. The letter promptly disintegrated, causing him to shriek in surprise. He stared at the remaining ashes that had fallen on the table. "... Ummm..."

"... How on earth did it do that?"

"I... have no idea." He continued to stare at it. Realising that he hadn't answered her question, he shook his head to clear it. "Uh, yeah, anyway..." He looked up at her. "It said to check out a place called Mount Avalanche. Apparently, there's something called an icy flute there!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! One of the 'seven treasures'! Doesn't that sound exciting?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah, I guess so."

He stared back down at the ashes in disbelief. "... It also said it would self-terminate, but I thought that was a joke..."

Torchic snorted in amusement.

He looked up at her. "Anyway, yeah," he continued. "Wanna check out Mount Avalanche? It sounds like a super secret mission just for secret rank!"

She chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

"Great!" Piplup rummaged around in his treasure bag and pulled out his wonder map. He spread it on the table and looked it over. "Okay... Mount Avalanche is..." Once he found it, he placed his flipper on it. "Here!" He paused. "... Oh, hey! That's pretty close to Blizzard Island."

Torchic leaned over the table to look. "... Huh, you're right."

"Huh... all that time, I lived really close to a legendary treasure?" He pouted. "Darn."

He saw Torchic's beak curl up in amusement, which only made him pout more.

* * *

Team Fledge made their way up Mount Avalanche. Sometimes, it snowed, doubling the speed of ice-types. Other times, it was cloudy, weakening all but normal-types. Despite being so close to Blizzard Island, though, Mount Avalanche was surprisingly bright. Piplup could easily see his flipper in front of his face as he walked, which was more than he could say for his homeland.

He loved it dearly, though he'd always wished it was less dark and scary. Though he supposed it was much less so with either his parents or Torchic around.

Eventually, they made it to the peak, where they met and battled Articuno, the guardian of one of the seven treasures they were seeking.

* * *

Later, back in Treasure Town, Piplup was admiring the icy flute they'd won from their battle with Articuno. It was a baby blue colour, practically transparent, was dotted with crystal shapes and looked like it was made of ice.

"Wow..." he said. "It's so pretty, isn't it?"

Torchic nodded. "Yeah," she replied.

"It's so cool that we found it!" He paused. "I wonder how we can tell _Scizor_ we found it. He didn't leave us any way to contact him..."

Torchic huffed in amusement, then shrugged.

"Ah well," he continued. He smiled, holding the icy flute aloft. "We found it and that's what matters!" He lowered his flipper, staring at the flute. "... So what do you think it does?"

"... Dunno."

"I... don't remember the letter saying anything about it, so, uh... should I try playing it, or... something?"

Torchic smiled, nodding. "Sure."

"Okay... though I've never played an instrument in my life, so I dunno if anything'll happen." He held it up to his beak. "Here goes!" He blew into it.

It made a very strange sound. It was kind of pleasant, he supposed. He placed his flippers over various holes, creating different notes, but that was about all that seemed to happen.

He took it out of his beak and frowned thoughtfully at it. "Hmm..." he said to himself, wondering if maybe he really did need to be good at playing the flute for something to happen.

"What... what was _that_?" a voice from nearby asked.

"Huh?" Piplup turned around, only to see Sneasel behind him. He was staring at him and Torchic with a look of awe on his face.

Piplup smiled. "Sneasel!" he said. "We haven't seen you since Sky Peak! How've you been?"

Sneasel blinked, shaking his head slightly. "Yeah, yeah, I've been fine." He strolled over to them, staring at something the entire time. "... What _is_ that?"

"Huh?" Piplup looked where he was looking. He held up the icy flute. "You mean this?"

Sneasel's gaze didn't waver. "Yeah."

"Well, it's called an icy flute! Not sure what it does, but it's pretty!"

"It played the most... beautiful song..."

Piplup shared a glance with Torchic. She seemed just as confused as he felt.

"Uh... it did?" he asked, looking back at Sneasel.

"Yeah..."

"Well... glad you liked it!" He couldn't say he agreed, but whatever floated the guy's boat, he supposed. He paused as he thought of something. "Oh! And thanks for the sky gift back at Sky Peak!"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, no problem." Sneasel continued to stare at the icy flute for a minute. Once the silence got a bit awkward, he shook his head again, looking like he was clearing it. "Anyway, yeah. Nice flute." He turned around. "I'm gonna head off home now."

"Okay! See you around, Sneasel!"

"Yeah, see ya," Torchic added.

Sneasel lifted a claw in acknowledgement as he walked away.

They watched him leave. Once he was out of sight, Piplup suddenly thought of something. He took a quick look around Treasure Town.

"... Huh," he said. "Doesn't look like anyone else reacted to the icy flute." He looked at the treasure again. "That's weird."

"... Maybe... because it's for ice-types?" Torchic suggested.

Piplup's head jolted up to gaze at her. "Hey, there's a point! It's an icy flute, so maybe it's for ice-types?" He paused in thought. "Do we know any other ice-types? You know, to test it on?"

Torchic also paused in thought. "... Lapras?"

Piplup gasped. "Lapras! You're right! Let's go see if it works on Lapras!"

* * *

After heading down to the beach, Piplup tested the icy flute on Lapras. He reacted in much the same way as Sneasel, staring intently at the flute, as if it had played the world's most melodic and beautiful tune.

Piplup couldn't say he understood. He was barely playing the instrument, yet ice-types seemed to be entranced by whatever passed for a tune from it.

As he and Torchic headed to Spinda's Café for an evening drink, they discussed what the icy flute's power could possibly be, throwing suggestions back and forth between them. They also discussed other possible instruments that might have similar effects on other types. The icy flute was only _one_ of the seven treasures, after all.

Maybe, eventually, Scizor would give them missions to get the other six, too. Piplup certainly hoped so. The mere thought was making his heart race with excitement.

This was the sort of thing he'd become an explorer for in the first place, after all. Discovering new places, and finding rare treasures and ancient relics.

Of course, saving the world had been nice, too. He couldn't deny that.

* * *

Piplup sipped his pecha berry smoothie through a straw. It was deliciously sweet, and his second favourite after blue gummi smoothies. Opposite him at the café table, Torchic was sipping a chesto berry smoothie, her second favourite after red gummi smoothies.

As he drank, though, his eyes couldn't help but drift over to the empty seat in-between them. Now that he thought about it, this was the table they'd been sitting at with Manaphy that one time.

It felt very empty without him there with them.

As his mood dipped, he tried to think of something more positive. His thoughts instead drifted to Mount Avalanche, where they'd had a very successful exploration and gotten themselves a rare treasure.

He remembered the snowy landscape that looked very similar to Blizzard Island. His homeland, and also the place they'd been sent to look for Scizor, who'd been held prisoner by Froslass for several decades.

Froslass was currently in jail, but still. In that moment, it gave Piplup the cold, harsh reminder of how much of his life Scizor must have missed out on.

Glancing back at their smoothies, he again tried to think of something positive, but he couldn't help but be reminded of the smoothies he and Torchic been drinking with Manaphy not long ago.

... He couldn't deny that his heart ached for the little guy. He missed him terribly, but nothing could be done about that. Manaphy was living a new life in the sea with Walrein, where he belonged, and wouldn't get horribly sick.

Before he realised it, his eyes had wandered over to Torchic, who was sipping her smoothie with a thoughtful look on her face.

... She, too, had disappeared once. His heart had crumbled into a thousand pieces, and he'd never thought he could fix it again.

Now that he thought about it, a lot of pokémon had disappeared, it seemed. Manaphy had disappeared from his life, Scizor had disappeared for several decades, and Torchic had disappeared from existence. Nothing short of a miracle had brought the latter back.

It made Piplup realise that time was precious. It was important to live in the here and now, before the chance was ripped away from you. Just like with Torchic, Manaphy and Scizor.

... He wondered if Scizor had wanted to confess his love to someone before he'd disappeared. If so, it was possible that he'd missed his chance, thanks to Froslass. Maybe the girl he loved was even dating somebody else now.

His breath caught in his throat. He didn't want that happening to him. He didn't remotely have the courage to confess to Torchic, but things could be far worse if he didn't. If he left it too long, and she disappeared for real, then he wouldn't be able to take it. Picturing her with someone else was no better. It made his heart contort into painful knots.

He didn't want to confess, but he didn't want to lose her, either. Not to time, or to another pokémon.

He took a deep breath as he made his decision. He was going to do it. He was going to confess to her tonight.

... That thought was very overwhelming, but he knew that he had to do it tonight. If he left it for another day, which was very tempting, then he'd completely lose his nerve again. He had to act now.

The only question was how to go about it. He thought for a while as he sipped his smoothie.

Sometime later, his eyes widened as the answer eventually came to him. It was perfect.

"Say, Torchic?" he asked, putting on a smile. "You wanna go down to the beach?"

Torchic looked at him, tilting her head curiously. "Hmm?" she asked.

He faltered slightly. "I, uh... wanna see the sunset. Haven't seen it in a while!"

Torchic's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh!" She smiled at him. "Sure."

He beamed. "Great!"

* * *

Okay. So far, so good. Piplup was currently walking down the path to the beach, with Torchic in tow.

His heart was pounding in his chest, his nerves frayed to the absolute maximum. It would be make or break tonight.

Either he'd end up the happiest man alive, or things would be incredibly awkward from now on. He couldn't possibly imagine it going any other way.

Oh no, now he'd made himself even more nervous. He wasn't sure he could do this at all. He was about ready to bail and call it quits any moment.

... No. He had to be strong. Even though every single part of him was screaming at him to run away, he had to be strong. Purely _because_ it was make or break.

If the end result was positive, he'd do anything to attain it, because he wanted it more than anything.

As they reached the shoreline, he saw that the krabby were blowing bubbles across the sunset, as they usually did at dusk. It looked as beautiful as it always did. Not only that, but he and Torchic were alone. The krabby were too far away to hear anything and Lapras had gone home for the night.

The atmosphere was perfect, just like he'd hoped.

Okay. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. It seemed it was go time.

... But just where would he start? He couldn't just open with the confession. That was far too sudden. Perhaps he should gently lead into it.

He glanced sideways at Torchic, who was staring out at the sunset in awe.

"... It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.

She looked at him, smiling. "Yeah," she replied.

"I've always liked the sunset from this beach. Especially with how the bubbles catch the light juuuust right."

"Heh, yeah."

He watched as her blue eyes caught the light, shimmering in the sunset. He smiled warmly.

"... This was where I met you, remember?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Right over there." He pointed to a large rock jutting out of the sand.

She turned around to look. "Yeah. That's right."

"You were right by that rock, out cold." He paused. "... That was also where you reappeared after... disappearing."

"... Oh yeah. You're right."

He lowered his flipper, and she turned back to face him. "Heh," he said. "Come to think of it... both times where I found you were on the beach at dusk. It's kinda weird, isn't it?"

She chuckled. "Guess so."

He felt a boost of confidence. This was it. His heart was filling up, swelling and overflowing with emotion. It was the pure, unbridled power of being in the one place that he cherished the most.

"And... it's also where... I wanna tell you something."

She blinked at him. "Hmm?"

He took in a deep breath, trying his best to steady his nerves. "I..." He paused. "We've... been through a lot together, haven't we? Exploring, rescuing pokémon, arresting outlaws... going to the future, saving the world..."

She smiled again, nodding. "Yeah."

"And... all throughout that, you stuck by my side. You cheered me up when I was down, and... gave me courage when I was scared."

Her smile warmed. "Well... of course I did."

He stared at her, her eyes shimmering in the sunset more than ever. His confidence had been wavering a bit, but now it was back with full force.

"Yeah... and... because of that... I've... grown really fond of you."

"Hmm?"

"Yeah. More... fond of you... than I should have."

After a few seconds, her eyes widened. She said nothing in response.

"It..." Oh no, his nerves were returning again. He took another deep breath to calm himself. It rattled in his throat. "It... goes beyond friendship. Way beyond it. I... I..." He felt the skin on his face grow hot. "I like you... Kathryn." A wave of fear and embarrassment washed over him all at once. He clenched his eyes shut. "I really like you, Kathryn!"

He kept his eyes closed, afraid of what he might see if he opened them.

He was greeted with silence.

Slowly, timidly, he began to crack an eye open. He saw Torchic still staring at him, wide-eyed. Even her beak was slightly open.

"... Um..." he said, "Tor... Kathryn?"

She blinked, then blinked again. Giving her head a quick shake, she looked him in the eyes.

"... Um..." she replied, "really?"

"Y... Yeah..."

Opening both eyes, he looked down at the sand. Her response seemed negative, though he wasn't entirely sure. Now, though, he had no courage left. He'd spent it all on the confession.

There was a long pause. "... Even though I'm a human?"

He looked up, not expecting that question. "Y... Yeah."

She blinked at him. "... Really?"

"Yeah..."

"Oh..." She paused, her face reddening. After a moment, she looked down at the sand. "Well... thank you."

"No... problem..."

There was another awkward silence.

"It's just..." she said, "well... it's been on my mind for a while now."

He blinked at her. "... What has?"

"Us. Being together."

His eyes widened in shock. "R... Really?!"

"Yeah... but I... didn't think we _could_, since... I'm a human and all."

Excitement and hope built inside his chest. "But... but I don't care about that! You barely feel like a human anyway, most of the time!" He paused, thinking over what he'd just said. "... Wait... was that insensitive?"

She chuckled lightly. "Not really. I barely feel like one myself anymore." She glanced out at the sea. "Besides... I don't remember anything about being human. Just my name." She paused. "I don't remember my friends, my family... anything." She looked back at him. "I only remember _you_... and everything that came after you."

He stared. It was rare for her to say so much at once, but he was hanging onto every word.

She continued. "I'm basically a torchic now, in every sense." She paused. "... So you really like me?"

He felt his face grow hot again. "Y-Yeah. A lot." He looked at the sand. "You're strong, and brave... and... and you're always there for me, even in the hard times. Even when I wanna give up, when I say it's hopeless, you... you're there to make me feel better. You're like a... a shining light in my life." Realising what he'd said, he slapped his flippers over his beak. "... Oh... wow, that was cheesy."

He heard Torchic's rare and beautiful giggle. He looked up to see her bright, warm smile. "Yeah, it... kinda was."

He averted his gaze, embarrassed. "W-Well..."

"... I liked it, though."

He looked back at her in surprise.

She continued. "And I like _you_, too."

His eyes widened. She'd been hinting at it, but now she'd actually said it aloud. She'd confirmed it.

"You do? E... Even though I'm a pokémon?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I... thought it was a bit weird at first, but... how can I not?" She paused for thought. "... You're kind... and cute..."

He blinked. "Cute?"

"Yeah. Your smile can light up a room." She paused again. "... You're pretty timid, but you really pull through when it counts. Plus... you were my first friend, after I... lost my memory." She looked down at the sand, a nostalgic expression on her face. "You stuck by me... and you... always believed in me and trusted me, despite... well, my story sounding crazy." Looking up, she smiled at him. "So of course I like you. A lot."

Piplup felt tears sting at his eyes. "Kathryyyyn!" He dashed forwards, wrapping his flippers around her. Her warm feathers felt so nice against his colder ones. "... I was so lost when you were gone. I... I didn't know what to do!"

She chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't leave you again. I promise."

The tears fell in his happiness. "Thank you."

"... You know, I... I kinda pitied you when we first met... but... now I don't." He felt tiny wings try to embrace him. "You've grown a lot."

He sobbed out a laugh. "Th-Thanks... though I never could've done it without _you_." He hugged tighter. "I... I love you."

"P... Piplup..." After a stretch of silence, she continued. "... I love you, too."

His insides exploded with joy. The smile on his beak widened as far as it would go. He loved her, and she loved him. It was more than he could've ever asked for.

He sobbed again. "Kathryn!"

"Hey, hey... it's okay..." Her tiny wing patted him comfortingly.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, until Piplup finally calmed down.

"So... we're dating now, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. He felt her stand on her tiptoes and nuzzle her cheek against his. It sent a wave of elation through him. "We are."

Unable to keep the smile off his beak, he nuzzled her back.


End file.
